USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported this morning that right-hander Mike Clevinger is seeking a one-year contract according to Clevinger’s agent, Seth Levinson of ACES.
The news regarding Clevinger’s market sets up a contrast between the veteran right-hander and the other free agent starting pitchers still available. Top-of-the-market southpaws Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are both seeking pricey multi-year contracts, with the latest reporting on Snell indicating that the lefty is seeking an opt-out laden two- or three-year guarantee with an AAV in the $30MM range, while Montgomery was rumored to be angling for a seven-year pact earlier this month. Even righty Michael Lorenzen, the other mid-market pitcher still available, is reportedly seeking a two-year deal, with recent reports indicating that the 32-year-old has turned down one-year offers in the $5-7MM range.
While it’s not clear where Clevinger’s salary expectations are as things stand, it’s nonetheless easy to see the 33-year-old’s willingness to accept a one-year deal making the right-hander a more attractive option for clubs looking to bolster their pitching depth with less than two weeks remaining until Opening Day. The dwindling time to find a new home before the season begins is perhaps even more significant for Clevinger than it is for other players left on the market, as the veteran has not been publicly connected to any of MLB’s 30 clubs since hitting free agency back in November.
Despite that lack of public interest, the veteran was clearly among the more interesting mid-to-back of the rotation options available this winter, even as free agency was just getting started. While Clevinger can hardly be expected to replicate the early-career dominance he enjoyed in Cleveland that saw him compare favorably to front-of-the-rotation arms such as Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, a strong platform campaign with the White Sox last year saw Clevinger flash mid-rotation results. Despite being limited to just 131 1/3 innings by a right wrist injury, the veteran posted a solid 3.77 ERA with a 4.28 FIP in Chicago last season, with even stronger results after returning from the injury in late July. Over his final 12 starts last year, Clevinger pitched to a 3.67 ERA with a nearly-matching 3.75 FIP.
That solid mid-rotation performance comes with some questionable peripherals, however. While Clevinger’s velocity returned in his second season back from Tommy John surgery last year as he average 94.6 mph with his heater, he struck out just 20% of batters faced while generating grounders at a career-worst 30.9% clip. Clevinger’s below-average strikeout and groundball rates are a far cry from his peak years in Cleveland, when he struck out 28.3% of batters faced to go along with a 40.3% grounder rate. Even with those diminished peripherals, however, Clevinger figured to be an excellent option for a club looking to bolster the back of its rotation this winter.
Of course, that hasn’t panned out to this point as Clevinger remains on the market, but a rash of pitching injuries around the game could perhaps open the door for Clevinger to latch on with a club in need of starting depth entering the season. The Red Sox, Astros, Marlins, Yankees, and Giants have all faced unexpected injuries in the rotation throughout the spring, and Clevinger could be a cost-effective insurance policy for any of those clubs if they wish to bolster their rotation in light of those injuries. While the veteran right-hander can’t be expected to replace the production of a front-of-the-rotation arm such as Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, or Eury Perez, his ability to offer stability to the middle or back of a club’s rotation could help raise the floor for a rotation-needy club ahead of Opening Day. What’s more, his apparent desire for a straight one-year pact provides flexibility that could be particularly attractive to clubs such as the Astros or Marlins that figure to have plenty of rotation depth in the long-term but are currently struggling with multiple injuries.
I might be the lone Padre fan who wouldn’t mind him back filling the 5th spot in the rotation. Brito has pitched well this spring, but we all know someone will get injured and having him come in to pick up the slack would be a nice luxury. Plus Sunshine’s salary shouldn’t put them over the tax threshold.
@beersy Would Cleaver really take the 5-hole? Do the Pads have 4 guys better than he is? Genuinely curious, as I haven’t kept up with the offseason much.
They do. Darvish, Musgrove, King and the recently acquired Cease are all better than him I would say.
You would be the only one. He folds under pressure. Get him in the playoffs and he is straight BP.
Im in at 5 million on a 1 year deal.
I agree. He is a decent quality pitcher available for a reasonable contract. Good signing for the fifth spot or depth.
I don’t have a huge amount of faith in their rotation staying healthy, but if they signed Clevinger, they have to favored over AZ to make the playoffs, right? All 5 SPs are favored to have a QS any time they go out, And not much faith in their offense, but it looks about league-average?
IMO, that’s what wins games. A lack of depth, so they couldn’t handle many injuries, but I think this is a decent team.
Dang. A 3.3 WAR pitcher who seems reasonably well on his way back from surgery, on a one year deal? Who couldn’t be helped for, say, 1/15m-20m?
He’s 33, hasn’t quite been the same since coming back from injury, and was initially dumped by Cleaveland for being a head case. He’d probably fit best on a team with a lot of SP depth that could use a return to form but also doesn’t need to rely on him.
Wow… teams are willing to throw 150 million at pitchers like Carlos Rodon but won’t take a chance on a healthy pitcher like Clevinger.
Rodon was probably a mistake.
Probably?
Career ERA+ of 127, career FIP of 3.87. Velo back and threw 130 innings last year. It’s about allegedly throwing an iPad at his pregnant gf and choking her. He and Bauer are boys they might end up in Korea together
MLB investigated and didn’t even levy a suspension. Allegedly is right. Must have been some facts on his side. The accusations are always on the front page. The exoneration never gets the splashy headline.
Clevinger did not have takes on sticky substances. That’s the big difference.
It’s baffling why these guys keep getting jobs, but it does seem that more and more clubs are finally getting smarter and looking at their young in-house options rather than wasting $$ and roster spots on these past their prime, injury-prone pitchers. Why even pay 2Mil for a Clevinger when your top minor leaguers will probably be just as good or better.
That’s why I personally hope the Giants stay far away from Clevinger or Lorenzen. Unless it’s somebody of Snell or Montgomery’s caliber I’d rather they roll with the youngsters.
@tellit
Its a simple reason. Rushing a top prospect who may not yet be ready for a full work load at the MLB level seldom works out. Its also not a sure thing that that prospect will perform well enough to stay. Having a fall back option is wise. Then there is this thing called injury. Having depth is a good thing. If you read this site daily, you may have noticed that a pitcher seems to get injured daily. And some teams just don’t have prospects ready to call up.
How many rookie pitchers had a 3.3 WAR last year?
when your top minor leaguers will probably be just as good or better.
==========================
Most systems have nowhere near that type of depth.
Giants?
Giants love one year guys… even better when they need to prove it. Would fit SF well. Especially if he is ready early. Trade later if you’re Sudden in a flush later.
This is what I’m thinking. FZ flyer, if it pays off, and Robbie Ray is back and looking good, flip Clevinger at the deadline.
Oh please no. I’d take any of our top 5 AAA pitchers over Clevinger. I’d rather see what they’ve got than give that guy millions.
Yeah I agree. But there’s still a lot of uncertainty. Until Ray and Cobb are back, another experienced starter would be good insurance. I’m just hoping we don’t get 60% of games being bullpen. How much dyu think Clevinger would cost?
Giants tend to not sign domestic abusers(blah blah owner), he won’t be coming to the bay
Yet we’re all somehow fine with that homerun guy? Tbh I didn’t know about Clevinger DV issues. Fair enough I guess. If that wasn’t the case, Bauer would already be in SFG ST camp on league minimum.
Sunny or sunshine or what ever that stripper’s name was fell down those stairs, Barry didn’t through her.
MLB investigated and found nothing to substantiate the accusations. (not guilty)
That was his ex wife.
They tend to not sign anyone that receives other offers. Watch the scum that they just signed at 3rd base . An April , may hitter then he will be a .190 hitter rest of the way. Giants are trash
Come on Angels. Once he is fully ready, you can move Anderson to the BP. Or trade him to a team looking for pitching
One-year pitcher deals are right up Moreno’s alley!
And they have seldom panned out.
Waiting to throw a tantrum
Looks like his asking price went down, he must have been looking for a multiyear deal if he hasn’t signed yet. Quite a few teams could use him on a one-year deal too.
$14MM?
14 million wouldn’t be so bad, he had better numbers than Lance Lynn, and Lynn got 13 million if I remember correctly.
Also factoring in the $4MM he got for declining his declining his option.
Chinese bot right? Has to be. No one just says this.
He will land in Houston.
montgomery is outta his mind if he thinks he’s getting 7 years
probly boras being boras.
4-5 years tops. meanwhile he is unemployed
hope he enjoys sitting around polishing his WS ring while everyone else is playing ball
Alright Mrs. Bauer. Please stop with the Trevor Bauer comments. Your son is not getting signed by an MLB team.
Doubt his moms that ignorant.
She raised Trevor.
Kathy*
This what I thought would happen this offseason. The very top and bottom of the market are unaffected but the middle is very much affected by the RSN issues.
Yep and we spent a ton of money on the middle with Gibson and Lynn. Not cool.
Seems strange to highlight a declining GB% for an extreme flyball pitcher. He makes his money with weak fly balls; it’s a feature, not a bug, especially in pitchers’ parks.
Breslow now would be a good time to get off your hands!
Why would you want a fly ball pitcher in Fenway?
The Sox entire rotatio backs up starters are all right handed. They don’t need a 9th right handed starter. They need 2 lefties.
*rotation and back up starters. Uhg, never post before coffee
Another washed up chucker.
Red Sox would be a good fit in my opinion
Already have 8 eighties when can start. Need lefties, bro.
We also need more veterans in the rotation, which is where Clevinger will help us.
Any other year, I would absolutely agree with you!!! But to me, this year is all about seeing if the 20-Somethings can take that final step forward or if it will time to move on from them.
I don’t think one veteran will hurt that rotation. It may get us a few more wins.
At this point I don’t understand why any of these guys won’t take a one year deal. They want an opt out, so it’d basically be like opting out without the chance to actually do so. They need to stay focused, go out there and play, and pitch to their abilities, have another good year, and they will for sure sign another decent contract next year. A 1 year deal is basically the same as signing a deal with an opt after this very next season because they’d most likely opt out bearing a significant injury or vast underperformance. The injury thing is understandable, but all these guys are capable of pitching middle to top of the rotation and can definitely find another deal next year, and if they pitch again like they did in 2023, that’d be 2 straight years of great performances and most definitely would get a multi year offer. Consistency is key and if they can show that 2 years in a row, the market will definitely be a lot better to them next go round.
Because they don’t want to bet they have a good season. They want that opt in if they have a typical year, rather than repeat last years percormance.
@braves
the best, most logical post I have read on here regarding opt outs.
Trevor is that you?
yankees could have him for one year deal.
Sorry, I still have to ask. Did he throw chewing tobacco in a babies face? I’ve never seen where that tidbit was ever resolved
MLB investigated and did not fine or suspend him. Details are not released.
Blue Jays might want to consider Clevinger. Manoah isn’t right, the depth is Bowden and then Mitch White. Might need a SP come late-April, giving Clevinger time to ramp up.
Yankees? Cash sign him 1 year 5 million with incentives…
Both Mikes make sense for the Bosox, flip them both at the deadline.
If you mean Montgomery, he probably won’t be flipped. His deal will be market rate, so what excess value would there be anyway? Or, put another way, why would a team give up prospects and pay him for most of his deal when they can just pay him now?
Clevinger is a good flip candidate, provided he doesn’t have a large buyout on a 2nd yr option this time.
I think montgomery’s first name is Jordan, so ,no, I was not refering to him.
Sorry, hadn’t had coffee at that point. That’s totally my error.
But switching to Lorenzen, it depends on his contract structure. If he gets a two-year deal or one with a high buyout, I think he stays put.
No sweat, I’m just hoping they can cash vets in for lotto tickets and push the reset button.
My prediction is he goes back to the White Sox. They need someone after trading Cease.
One would think a better team pays him low 8 figures (10-12). Little more removed from surgery, he was better overall last season than Lynn/Montas/Stroman/Giolito who got good guarantees.
Cease was pegged for 8 mil, so JR seems to have a little less than that as his line if Getz wants to add. All about payroll reduction in ’24.
Clevinger is another one that makes no sense. It isn’t like he is big bucks. He is two years recovered from TJ. At worst he is a solid vet who could slide into the 3rd or 4th slot in a rotation.
TIGER’S FO – STILL SLEEPING.
They are missing out on chance to help a cancer patient.
Sign Cleavinger on the condition he shave his head and DONATES HIS HAIR FOR A WIG.
Hire the Superfife.
There is ALWAYS A SOLUTION.
It seems like a no brainer for the Yanks to sign him. At best he could last 5 innings and then the bullpen could come in. This way they do not need to use a rookie and maybe in time when Cole gets back he can be used in the bullpen to eat up innings especially if a game goes bad for the Yankees.
Yankees are so far over the luxury tax anyone they sign costs more than double the contract value. Clevinger may well get $10M, but he’s not worth $22M.
Watching the Bosox flip few players at the last couple of deadlines has put their contending window back a couple of seasons while they thought somehow they might just squeak into the playoffs. They will compete, but struggle to contend in 24 IMHO. If they are around .500 at the ASB, ditch the veterans and let the kids play. I’d rather watch them lose than a team poorly assembled.
Part of me looks forward to seeing Houck, 27, with 4 years left, Crawford 27 with 8, Whitlock 27 with 5, Bello, 24 with 5 (?) left, and Criswell, 27 with 6 years left, (plus Pivetta) go through the rotation a few times.
It probably won’t be pretty, but there is no guarantee it will be ugly either.
I’m worried that we’ll see bullpen games again this year. When they had days off each week, this team contended to a certain extent. When push came to shove, and there were no days off, they folded like lawn furniture on labor day. get a couple of #5’s and save the pen. Flip anyone not nailed to the floor at the deadline. Conversely, they could package some talent for a front line starter, (or 2) and contend. Well in my deams anyway. Who am I kidding? trade everyone with 2 years or less contracts and bring up the kids. Then I’ll buy tickets.
His look, the reported off field antics. I know it’s not healthy to assume about a person’s character but whenever Mike comes up in the news I picture him having a recurring part-time role in the TV series Trailer Park Boys. Ya know, the one who “made it out” but likes to return “home” occasionally to run with fast friends Ricky and Bubbles.
Clevinger is top ten greasy slob looking hair so go to the Yankees.
Milwaukee Brewers should sign Clevinger to $5 million plus incentives.
He’s clearly being black balled as like your article states he’s a good relatively cheap back end of rotation starter. To larger degree Trevor Bauer will never pitch in mlb again.